Runaway cat has returned, but now she has a pot belly is and hiding from everything.

[softandelegant]

Our 1.5 year old cat escaped on Monday, we found her tonight thanks to signs and friendly people(whoever says people in NYC aren't friendly hasn't been in the right areas), but she has a pot belly. She's also been spayed. We can only afford to take her to a low cost vet who only has hours on Friday and Saturday. Is this something that could be really serious? I'm thinking it might be worms but I'm not 100% sure.

Also our other cat has been hissing at her and she's been hiding since we got her, will things go back to normal eventually? 

And when I found her she walked right up to me, so I know she knows who I am.

 

[stephanietx]

She needs to be in isolation until she calms down and is comfortable being in your house again.  I wouldn't hesitate getting her to the vet immediately for the pot belly.  Who knows what happened to her and what she encountered while she was out. 

 

[Anne]

I'm glad she is finally back home and safe with you. That has to be such a relief for all concerned! Did she have a collar and a name tag? I'd love to hear more about how she was re-united with you. The tips may help others in similar cases.

The behavior of the other cats is to be expected. She's returned with different scents on her and she may seem like a stranger to them. They may or may not re-adjust on their own, so separating them and then re-introducing them gradually may be necessary.

 [article="32680"]How To Successfully Introduce Cats The Ultimate Guide​[/article]  

It really depends on the cats, some are easier with re-introductions and others not so much. Do read the article as it will also tell you what not to do when you see the cats being hostile to each other, and that's very important at this point.

As for the health issues, are there any other symptoms other than the pot belly? It's hard to tell without seeing pictures and comparing them to her previous state. You're the only one here who can tell the difference. Since what you basically want for her is a wellness check at this point, I would try calling shelters in your area and explaining the situation. Stress the fact that this is a wellness check and that in all likelihood she may just need de-warming. Many shelters offer wellness checks at reduced prices, and hopefully one of them can have you come in before the weekend. 

You're right that pot belly can indicate a worm infestation. The thing is, it may be something else and also, a worm infestation that had developed within a week to be so dramatic may require urgent care. It may not be very expensive, so while I understand the financial considerations here, I would try really hard to find a vet who can see her on Monday. Again, that's assuming she is fine otherwise, eating, using the box, being herself. If she's not, an emergency visit may be necessary after all, even during the weekend.

 

[softandelegant]

She finally used the litter box and had diarrhea and it smelled horrific.

As for finding her. We tried all the tricks in the book. Left a litter box with her used litter in it outside, left old sweaty tee-shirts out, food and water, walks the blocks around our apartment building,and even brought our other cat outside on a leash to spread her smell. We put up flyers around the neighborhood with a bunch of photos of her and got a text yesterday saying "I saw your cat under a tree on this block between these streets", so we raced over there and couldn't find her. A nice man was sitting outside and asked if we were looking for someone, so I discribed her and told him someone said he saw her over here. The then told me be sees her every night and saw her a half hour ago, he thought she was someone's pet since she seems too friendly for a stray. He even offered to try to trap her for us.

So we went at night with a leash, harness and canned food. I hung around where we were told she hangs out and to my surprise I saw her on a stoop. Called her over, opened the can and she started chowing. Slipped the harness on and carried her home. I would like to add that we live in Brooklyn, in NYC. In a city like this the best bet to getting a cat back is asking the people that have lived there for years and hang out on their stoops. They know the difference between and pet and a stray and will keep an eye out.

I have one last new question about her behavior now that's she's home. She is very apprehensive of my bf and I, will she trust is again? We adopted her when she was 12 weeks and she was always my shadow, but since she's been back she's somewhat afraid of me and has been howling at the window, but also playing with her old favorite toys and will let me touch her and pick her up.